The Present Perfect in italian (Il Passato Prossimo) is one of the most used past tenses in Italian, along with the imperfect tense.
A list of words that indicate the present perfect in Italian.
- Fa (ago)
- Ieri (yesterday)
- Ieri sera (yesterday evening)
- Ieri mattina (yesterday morning)
- Ieri pomeriggio (yesterday afternoon)
- L’altro ieri (the day before yesterday)
- Il mese scorso (last month)
- La settimana scorsa (last week)
- L’anno scorso (last year)
- Da (maggio) [Since (May)]
- (Tre giorni) fa. [(Three dayes) ago].
What is the present perfect form in Italian? The form of the present perfect in Italian
The present perfect in Italian is formed with the present of (avere) and (essere) and the past participle of the verb.
(The present of avere or essere + the past participle of the verb).
The past participle of regular verbs is formed by changing the ending of the infinitive in this way:
| INF. | Ex. | P.P | EX. |
| -are | Andare to go Lavorare to work Mangiare to eat | -ato | Andato Went Lavorato Worked Mangiato Ate |
| -ere | Dovere to must Potere to can Vendere to sell | -uto | Dovuto Had Potuto Could Venduto Sold |
| -ire | Capire to understand Finire to finish Partire to leave | -ito | Capito Understood Finito Finished Partito Left |
Verbs ending in (-cere) and (-scere) do not change the sound of (c), and add an (i) before the ending (-uto).
- Piacere (To like) (Piaciuto)
- Conoscere (To Know) (Conosciuto)
The past participle remains unchanged when the present perfect in Italian is formed with the auxiliary Avere. On the other hand, when the present perfect is formed with Essere the past participle of the verb must agree in gender and number with the subject like an adjective.
| With Avere | With Essere | |
| Ho lavorato (I worked) Hai lavorato (You worked) Ha lavorato (He/she worked) Abbiamo lavorato (We worked) Avete lavorato (You worked) Hanno lavorato (They worked) | Sono partito/partita (I left) Sei partito/partita (You left) È partito/partita (He/she left) Siamo partiti/partite (We left) Sete partiti/partite (You left) Sono partiti/partite (They left) |
- Carla ha dormito in albergo.
- (Carla slept in a hotel)
- Gianni ha telefonato.
- (Gianni phoned)
- Abbiamo lavorato tutto il giorno.
- (We worked all day)
- Enrica e Pia hanno mangiato molto.
- (Enrica and Pia ate a lot)
- Carla è partita tre giorni fa.
- (Carla Left three days ago)
- Gianni è venuto in autobus.
- (Gianni came by bus)
- Ieri sera siamo usciti.
- (We went out last night)
- Enrica e Pia sono andate al cinema.
- (Enrica and Pia went to the cinema)
To form the present perfect with (avere) we use (avere) and with (essere) we use (essere).
| Avere | Essere |
| Ho avuto (I had) Hai avuto (You had) Ha avuto (He/she had) Abbiamo avuto (We had) Avete avuto (You had) Hanno avuto (They had) | Sono stato/stata (I have been) Sei stato/stata (You have been) È stato/stata (he/she has been) Siamo stati/state (We have been) Siete stati/state (You have been) Sono stati/state (They have been) |
- Avete avuto tempo di fare tutto?
- (Did you have time to do everything?)
- La settimana scorsa ho avuto molto lavoro.
- (I had a lot of work last week)
- Siete stati bene in quell’albergo?
- (Did you have a good time in that hotel?)
- Anna è stata la mia insegnante di storia.
- (Anna was my history teacher)
How to know when to use avere or essere?
The auxiliary Avere is used most all of the time, however, there are some cases where we use only the auxiliary Essere Like:
- With reflexive verbs.
- Mi sono alzata alle sei.
- (I got up at six)
- Ti sei messo la cravatta?
- (Did you put your tie on?)
- Lorenzo e io ci siamo visti ieri.
- (Lorenzo and I met yesterday)
- With verbs that indicate movement or staying.
- Andare (to go)
- Arrivare (to arrive)
- Cadere (to fall)
- Entrare (to enter)
- Partire (to leave)
- Restare (to remain)
- Rimanere (to remain)
- Tornare = Ritornare (to return)
- Restare = Stare (to stay)
- Uscire (to go out)
- Venire (to come)
- L’anno scorso, sono partito per Roma.
- (Last year, I left for Rome)
- La settimana passata, Mario è andato alle Piramidi.
- (Last week, Mario went to the Pyramids)
- Ieri, mio padre è stato a casa.
- (Yesterday, mu father was home)
- Il mese scorso, siamo rimasti a Siena per 2 giorni.
- (Last month, we stayed in Siena for 2 days)
- With other verbs.
- Diventare (to become)
- Riuscire (to succeed, to be able to)
- Sembrare (seem)
Some verbs, such as (Cambiare,Cominciare, Correre, Passare, Volare, Suonare, Salire, Scendere, Guarire, Diminuire, Aumentare, Migliorare, Peggiorare, Continuare, Comminciare , iniziare and Finire) can be used both in a transitive and in an intransitive way and form the present perfect with Avere or with Essere.
- Ho iniziato il lavoro.
- (I Started work)
- Il programma per il finesettimana è cambiato.
- (The weekend schedule has changed)
- Antonio ha cominciato il nuovo lavoro.
- (Antonio started the new job)
- La lezione è cominciato un quarto dàora fa.
- (The lesson started a quarter of an hour ago)
- Silvio ha continuato a lavorare anche dopo l’incidente.
- (Silvio continued to work even after the accident)
- Lo sciopero dei treni è continuato per tutta la giornata.
- (The train strike continued throughout the day)
- Hai finito di leggere il giornale?
- (Have you finished reading the newspaper)
- La Lezione è finita.
- (The lesson is over)
- Il film è finito dopo mezzanotte.
- (The movie ended after midnight)
- Il film è iniziato alle 9.
- (The movie started at 9)
- Enzo ha passato un bel fine-settimana.
- (Enzo had a nice weekend)
- Il tempo è passato velocemente.
- (Time passed quickly)
- Avete cambiato casa?
- (Have you moved home?)
- Sei salito in ascensore?
- (Did you get on the elevator?)
- Sono corsa a casa in tutta fretta.
- (I huuried home)
- Siete guariti dal raffreddore?
- (Have you recovered from the cold?)
Note:
- Transitive verbs: Take the auxiliary Avere, if they have an object, and can answer the question “Who?” or “What?”.
- Intransitive verbs: Take the auxiliary Essere, if they don’t have an object.
The object always refers to which or what and to whom the action is performed. In general, it can be said that when the subject of the verb is not a person, these verbs use Essere as an auxiliary.
Modal verbs with the present perfect in Italian
The modal verbs (Dovere, Potere, Volere) normally use the auxiliary Avere, but when they are followed by a verb that form the past tense with Essere they can also use Essere, however, the form with Avere is always right.
- Hai potuto dormire?
- (Could you sleep?)
- Abbiamo voluto riposare.
- (We wanted to rest.)
- Claudia ha dovuto partire.
- (Claudia had to heave)
- Pia non ha potuto andare a scuole.
- (Pia was unable to go to school)
- Claudia è dovuta partire.
- (Claudia had to leave)
- Pia non è potuta andare a scuola.
- (Pia was unable to go to school)
Irregular verbs in the present perfect in Italian (verbi irregolari al passato prossimo)
Many verbs have irregular past participles that can be learned. Here is a list of the most frequent irregular verbs used with the Auxiliary Avere / Essere.
With Avere
| Inf. | P.P |
| Accendere (to turn on) (to switch on) | Acceso (turned on) (switched on) |
| Aprire (to open) | Aperto (opened) |
| Assistere (to assist) | Assistito (Assisted) |
| Assumere (to assume) (to hire) | Assunto (Assumed) (Hired) |
| Bere (to drink) | Bevuto (Drank) |
| Chiedere (to ask) | Chiesto (Asked) |
| Chiudere (to close) | Chiuso (Closed) |
| Cogliere (to gather) | Colto (Gathered) |
| Concludere (to conclude) | Concluso (Concluded) |
| Conoscere (to know) | Conosciuto (Known) |
| Correggere (to correct) | Corretto (Corrected) |
| Correre (to run) | Corso (Ran) |
| Cuocere (to cook) | Cotto (Cooked) |
| Decidere (to decide) | Deciso (Decided) |
| Deludere (to disappoint) | Deluso (Disappointed) |
| Difendere (to defend) | Difeso (Defended) |
| Dipingere (to paint) | Dipinto (Painted) |
| Dire (to say) | Detto (Said) |
| Dirigere (to direct) | Diretto (Directed) |
| Discutere (to discuss) | Discusso (Discussed) |
| Distruggere (to destroy) | Distrutto (Destroyed) |
| Dividere (to divide) | Diviso (Divided) |
| Fare (to do) | Fatto (Did) |
| Illudere (to deceive) | Illuso (Deceived) |
| Leggere (to read) | Letto (Read) |
| Mettere (to put) | Messo (Put) |
| Muovere (to move) | Mosso (Moved) |
| Nascondere (to hid) | Nascosto (Hid) |
| Offrire (to offer) | Offerto (Offered) |
| Prendere (to take) | Preso (Took) |
| Piangere (to cry) | Pianto (Cried) |
| Porre (to put) (to place) | Posto (Put) (Placed) |
| Prendere (to take) | Preso (Took) |
| Produrre (to produce) | Prodotto (Produced) |
| Proteggere (to protect) | Protetto (Protected) |
| Ridere (to laugh) | Riso (Laughed) |
| Risolvere (to solve) | Risolto (Solved) |
| Rispondere (to answer) | Risposto (Answered) |
| Rompere (to break) | Rotto (Broke) |
| Scegliere (to choose) | Scelto (Chose) |
| Sciogliere (to melt) | Sciolto (Melted/Molten) |
| Scrivere (to write) | Scritto (Wrote) |
| Soffrire (to suffer) | Sofferto (Suffered) |
| Sospendere (to suspend) | Sospeso (Suspended) |
| Spegnere (to switch off) | Spento (Switched off) |
| Spendere (to spend) | Speso (Spent) |
| Spingere (to push) | Spinto (Pushed) |
| Uccidere (to kill) | Ucciso (killed) |
| Vedere (to see) | Visto (Watch) |
| Vincere (to win) | Vinto (Won) |
| Vivere (to live) | Vissuto (Lived) |
With Essere
| Inf. | P.P |
| Accorrere (to rush up to) | Accorso,a,i,e (Rushed up) |
| Apparire (to appear) | Apparso,a,i,e (Appeared) |
| Avvenire (to happen) | Avvenuto,a,i,e (Happened) |
| Comparire (to appear) | Comparso,a,i,e (Appeared) |
| Crescere (to grow up) | Cresciuto,a,i,e (Grown up) |
| Dipendere (to depend on) | Dipeso,a,i,e (Depended on) |
| Esistere (to exist) | Esistito,a,i,e (Existed) |
| Essere (to be) | Stato,a,i,e (Been) |
| Giungere (to arrive at) | Giunto,a,i,e (Arrived at) |
| Intervenire (to intervene in) | Intervenuto,a,i,e (Intervened in) |
| Morire (to die) | Morto,a,i,e (Died) |
| Nascere (to be born) | Nato,a,i,e (Born) |
| Piacere (to like) | Piaciuto,a,i,e (Liked) |
| Rimanere (to stay) (to remain) | Rimasto,a,i,e (Stayed) (Remained) |
| Scomparire (to disappear) | Scomparso,a,i,e (Disappeared) |
| Sopravvivere (to survive) | Sopravvissuto,a,i,e (Survived) |
| Sorgere (to rise) (to arise) | (Sorto,a,i,e) (Risen) (Arisen) |
| Succedere (to happen) | Successo,a,i,e (Happened) |
| Svenire (to faint) (to pass out) | Svenuto,a,i,e (Fainted) (Svenuto) |
| Valere (to be worth) | Valso,a,i,e (Worthed) |
| Venire (to come) | Venuto,a,i,e (Came) |
Verbs like Porre are: Anteporre (to place), Apporre (to append, affix), Comporre (to comose), Contrapporre (to counter), Decomporre (to Decompose), Deporre (to put down), Disporre (to place), Esporre (to expose, to display), Imporre (to impose), Indisporre (to indispose), Opporre (to oppose), Predisporre (to arrange), Preporre (to put before), Presupporre (to assume), Proporre (to suggest, to propose), Riporre (to replace, to put away), Sottoporre (to submit), Sovrapporr (to superimose), Supporre (to suppose).
Verbs like Produrre are Condurre (to take), Dedurre (to deduce), Indurre (to induce), Introdurre (to introduce), Ridurre (to reduce), Riprodurre (to reproduce), Sedurre (to suduce), Tradurre (to translate).
1. The verb (Correre) (to Run) can have both auxiliaries: When the verb is used generically we use the auxiliary Avere; if instead, we indicate the point of departure or arrival, we use the Auxiliary Essere
- Ho corso tutto il giorno.
- (I’ve been running all day)
- Sono corso,a da lei.
- (I ran to her)
2. The verb (Vivere) (to Live) can have both auxiliaries: If it is used as a transitive verb it takes Avere, if it is used as an intransitive verb it takes Essere
- Nella mia vita ho vissuto momenti difficili.
- (I have lived through difficult times in my life)
- Sono vissuto/a per molti anni in Cina.
- (I have lived in china for many years)
3. Bastare (Enough) and Costare (to Cost) are regular verbs, and they are like (Piacere, Morire e Succedere) and are usually used in the third person singular or plural.
- Vi è piaciuto il film?
- (Did you like the film?)
- Quanto è costata quella bici?
- (How much did that bike cost?)
- A che ora siete arrivati?
- (What time did you arrive?)
- A Maurizio lo spettacolo è sembrato troppo lungo.
- (To Maurizio, the show seemed too long)
The negative form of the present perfect in Italian
The negative form is done by putting (non) before the verb.
- Alessandra non è venuta.
- (Alessandra did not come)
- Pietro e Luisa non hanno telefonato.
- (Pietro and Luisa did not call)
- Oggi non ho pranzato.
- (I didn’t have lunch today)
The adverbs [Ancora (yet), Mai (never), Più (more), Appena (as soon as), and già (already)] are always placed between the auxiliary and the past participle:
- Alessandra non è più venuta al cinema con noi.
- (Alessandra is no longer come to the cinema with us)
- Pietro e Luisa non hanno mai telefonato.
- (Pietro and Luisa never phoned)
- Oggi non ho ancora pranzato.
- (I haven’t had lunch yet)
- Ho appena finito di mangiare.
- (I Just Finished eating)
- Avete già deciso quando partire?
- (Have you already decided when to leave?)
The form of courtesy in the present perfect in Italian
For the form of courtesy in the singular the third person singular (Lei) is used. For the plural we usually use Voi, but you can also use Loro, which, however is much more formal.
- Hai già cenato, Ingegner Lassi?
- (Have you already had dinner, engineer Lassi?)
- Professoressa, ha passato delle buone vacanze?
- (Professor, did you have a good holiday?)
- Signori Banfi, avete prenotato un tavolo?
- (Banfi gentlemen, have you booked a table?)
- Signori Banfi, hanno pernotato un tavolo?
- (Banfi gentlemen, have they booked a table?)
In the singular (when the pronoun Lei is used) the past participle must agree with the gender of the person to whom it is spoken.
- Professore, (Lei) quando è arrivato?
- (Professor, when did you arrive?)
- Dottoressa, (Lei) quando è arrivata?
- (Doctor, When you arrive?)
- Avvocato, è riuscito a finire in orario?
- (Lawer, did you manage to finish on time?)
Uses of the present perfect in Italian
The Present perfect in Italian indicates a past close, recent, or still linked to the present moment.
- Questa settimana il tempo è stato orribile.
- (The weather has been awful this week)
- Sono stanco perchè ieri sera ho mangiato troppo e non sono riuscito a dormire tutta la notte!
- (I’m tired becouse I ate too much last night and couldn’t sleep all night!)
In central and southern Italy, to express facts that no longer influence the present tense, another verb tense is used [the remote past (Il passato remote)]. In North Italy and the language of newspapers and television, however, the use of the present perfect prevails.